After 15 years of offering personal care to mothers-to-be in deprived areas, the Deptford-born Albany midwives practice has been forced to close.
The emails are bouncing back. The answering machine is on autocue. The website still talks of midwives who are on call for women 24 hours a day, seven days a week; but today, the mothers-to-be of Peckham and Camberwell will have to go elsewhere.
Kings College Hospital have brought their historic contract with the Albany Midwifery Practice – the first, and only group, of independent midwives to offer continuous, personalised care to women via the NHS – to an untimely end.
Exactly why remains under dispute; in a statement, King's College Hospital said they terminated their contract with the Albany for patient safety reasons, and that the hospital believes strongly in giving women the right to choose a home-birth, but the methodology of the review that prompted Kings' decision have been contested by midwives across the board . Amidst this furore, however, one thing remains indisputable: the quality of care the Albany brought to midwifery will not be easily forgotten.
"You cannot appreciate how incredible it is until you've experienced pregnancy with them. I can't imagine giving birth without that level of support." Eilidh Morgan's son was delivered in August, 2001. Eilidh can still remember the name of the midwife who delivered him, and the warm friendship that led to her having two more 'Albany babies' the following year: Maisy, a little girl who tragically passed away before she was born – "the difference in being able to have a home birth – to have my daughter at home for a few hours – it helped enormously" – and Fergus, the little boy whose gurgles echo down the phoneline as we chat.
They are just three of over 9, 000 children who have been delivered by the practice since its own beginnings in Deptford 15 years ago. Writing in the Midwifery Digest, founding member Becky Reid describes how, in the early 1990s, a group of six midwives working in south-east London began dreaming a dream – that the "choice, control and continuity of care" offered by independent practitioners might be available to women free of charge within the NHS.
What made this vision so revolutionary was not the method itself – well-off women have of course been commissioning their own personal midwives for hundreds of years – but the place; a run-down health centre situated in one of the most deprived and unhealthy areas in the country.
Their good work continued when financial difficulties led to them moving to Peckham to form a sub-contract with Kings Hospital: a mortality rate of 11.49/1000 in Southwark borough compares with only 4/1000 for children born under Albany's care. At the Albany breast-feeding is more popular, the popularity of home births is unprecedented, and the number of cesarean sections has fallen by over 50 per cent since the service began.
"It's interesting that the Albany have been forced out on grounds of health when copious amounts of research shows that it is much safer and much cheaper and everyone involved is much happier," says Emma Beamish, second time Albany mother and chief spokeswoman for the 700-strong 'Albany Mums' movement.
Her comments echo the assertions of Sarah Davies and the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services (AIMS) chair Beverly Beech that the question of independent midwifery is ultimately the old feminist chestnut of 'power, and control'.
'Empowered woman threaten all kinds of professions. Albany empowers woman. That was the problem', explains Davies. If that is true, as indeed woman from the Royal College of Midwives to the ex-health minister Baroness Cumberledge are suggesting, then Kings College Hospital have seriously underestimated their opponents.
The Albany Midwives have been self-employed and self-managed for over 15 years. They have supported thousands of pregnant women, and their children, in what is one of the most deprived inner-city areas in the developed world – and they have done so in such a caring, dedicated way that their model has become the blueprint for reforms aimed at addressing the national crisis facing maternity care.
"Midwives leave for a variety of reasons and one of them is the system in which they work – they don't feel they can provide good care for women," says Eleanor May Johnson, an independent midwife who chose not to work in the NHS for fear of the centralised and impersonal "baby factory" conditions in which she would have to practice. She wants to see Albany-style practices contracted through Primary Care Trusts rather than hospitals, and, like the Albany mums the National Childbirth Trust, AIMS and the Royal College, she wants to see it nationwide.
"Ever since we started campaigning we've had groups of women around the country clamoring for an Albany," Mrs Beamish says; many of them have been campaigning for over 30 years. It's unlikely that they'll win the fight against Kings – when I ring, they tell me that "their decision is final" – but really, the whole CMACE saga – the report that prompted the closure – has been outgrown.
The Albany Mums are taking their midwives national – and these ladies are not for turning.
Our very own video feature about the Albany Centre's closure can be viewed here.


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Ferkels großes Abenteuer (Originaltitel: Piglet's Big Movie) ist ein Zeichentrickfilm aus dem Jahr 2003 von Regisseur Francis Glebas und der achte Kinofilm der Disney Toon Studios. Der Film basiert auf den Kinderbüchern Pu der Bär von Alan Alexander Milne.

Handlung
Im Hundertmorgenwald arbeiten Winnie Puuh, Tigger, Rabbit und I-Aah an einem Plan, um Bienen aus ihrem Bienenstock zu locken und so an deren Honig zu kommen. Als Ferkel hinzukommt, teilt man ihm mit, dass er zu klein wäre, um mithelfen zu können. Die Ausführung ihres Vorhabens scheint allerdings schiefzugehen und nur durch das Eingreifen von Ferkel gelingt es, die Bienen doch noch einzufangen. Die vier loben sich nun gegenseitig für ihren Plan und die erfolgreiche Ausführung, übergehen jedoch die Beteiligung von Ferkel und beachten ihn nicht weiter. Als Ferkel enttäuscht weggeht, bemerken die vier ihn auch nicht. Als die Bienen wieder ausbrechen, flüchten sie in Ferkels Haus. Der ist nicht da, sie finden aber ein Buch mit seinen gezeichneten Erinnerungen. Um Ferkel wiederzufinden, besuchen sie die im Buch beschriebenen Orte. Die Geschichten aus dem Buch erinnern sie dann auch wieder daran, welche großen und mutigen Taten Ferkel für seine Freunde vollbracht hat. Sie verlieren das Buch und als es Puuh zurückholen will, gerät er in Gefahr. Da taucht plötzlich Ferkel auf und rettet Puuh. Alle sind froh, dass Ferkel wieder da ist, und feiern mit ihm zusammen ein Fest.

Synchronisation

Hintergrund
 Nach dem Ende des Zeichentrickfilms beginnen die Endtitel mit einer Realfilm-Sequenz von Carly Simon, die den Titel With a Few Good Friends singt.
 Carly Simon trug acht Musiktitel zum Film bei, zwei weitere Titel stammen von den Sherman-Brüdern.

Kritiken
 Lexikon des internationalen Films: Der Disney-Zeichentrickfilm entstand in Anlehnung an die "Winnie Puh"-Kinderbücher von A.A. Milne und stellt mit dem kleinen, stets an Selbstbewusstsein krankenden und Anerkennung im Freundeskreis suchenden Schweinchen Ferkel eine der liebenswerten Randfiguren in den Mittelpunkt der episodischen Handlung. Dabei wird auf ebenso kindgerechte wie sympathische Weise von Freundschaft und Solidarität erzählt.
 Carsten Scheibe schrieb auf stern.de: "Ferkels großes Abenteuer" besteht aus mehreren Episoden, die durch eine Rahmenhandlung zusammengehalten werden. Das ist gut für kleine Kinder, da sie einer einzelnen Geschichte über so lange Zeit gar nicht folgen können. Die Geschichten selbst sind ganz ruhig erzählt, sehr bodenständig und absolut nicht gruselig: Albträume entstehen hier keine.
 Susanna Nieder schrieb in Der Tagesspiegel: Wer Puh, Ferkel und Christopher Robin aus den Geschichten und Zeichnungen von A.A. Milne kennt, liebt sie höchstwahrscheinlich für ihre Skurrilität. Bei Disney werden die kleinen britischen Exzentriker aus dem Hundertmorgenwald zu ziemlich tumben Gesellen mit permanentem Fragezeichen in der Stimme. […] Im Großen und Ganzen ist eine sehr amerikanische Geschichte um Freundschaft, Toleranz und andere große Werte herausgekommen. […] Wirklich seltsam ist nur der Nachspann, in dem Carly Simon samt Gitarre in einer Wiese steht, den Titelsong auf Englisch singt und dabei sehr breit lächelt. Das kann nur an Mama und Papa gerichtet sein. Wenn der Nachwuchs sie nicht um den Soundtrack belagert, dann wirkt vielleicht die Popqueen der Achtzigerjahre verkaufsfördernd.

Auszeichnungen
Der Film war für einen Annie Award 2004 in der Kategorie Outstanding Effects Animation nominiert.

Einzelnachweise

Weblinks

Zeichentrickfilm
Filmtitel 2003
US-amerikanischer Film
Pu der Bär

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Using information technology (IT) to add value to the learning process: pre-conditions for success
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Corporate performance reporting: relevance lost, relevance regained?
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Combining moral orientation and justice theory: fairness lessons for the decision maker
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S&T rankings: do countries change the level of their technological competitiveness?
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Home > Features > Reviews > Review: Festival of the World outside spaces at London's Southbank
Chelsea College of Art and Design Students contributed to their vision of growth and legacy with their Baobab Tree
At the launch of the Southbank Centre's Festival of the World, which runs from 1 June until 9 September, the waiting press smile at a tree festooned with colourful balloons. Nicole Fordham Hodges is smiling too.
The balloons pop periodically as we wait. The debris of old balloons, we are told, is part of the installation. This is Life Life by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa who has also sculpted the concrete pillars between the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery using thousands of luminous green household baskets.
The Southbank Centre's 21-acre site has been transformed by an unprecedented collection of outside art. Much of it plays with ideas of the permanent and the transitory; what is sustainable or recyclable and what is ephemeral.
Adrian Paci's disquieting photograph Centro di Permanenza Temporanea (Centre for Permanent Temporariness) shows a group of people queuing on a moveable staircase with the plane itself missing: a comment on displacement.
Yet trees and their rootedness are also a theme. Pirate Technics and the students from Chelsea College of Art and Design have created Under the Baobab Tree. Made from stacked rings of fabric from around the globe. This huge tree sculpture reflects the way we live in cities: culture stacked on culture. I am moved by how deep rootedness has been created from displacement, so high on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
In Beuys' Acorns, artists Ackroyd and Harvey have displayed over 200 oak saplings, grown from the fallen acorns from J Beuys' seminal artwork 7000 Oaks. Beuys saw his work as a catalyst to transform society. I imagine these saplings as grown oaks: the huge eco-communities they could each provide. What will happen to these oaks? I am told that for now they will continue to tour, property of the artists. Trees on tour until they find their stopping place. Is this a symbol of change in process?
Children – the equivalent of our oak saplings – are taken seriously at the Southbank Centre. The children of Hounslow Heath Infant and Nursery School, in collaboration with ecobuilders Small Earth, were central to the design of London Earth Creature, a gorgeously tactile, grounded playscape. Robot Collective, designers of 'Everything is beautiful when you don't look down', were helped by children from the Oasis Children's Venture in Lambeth. Commenting on the installation of the huge humanoid figures on the roof of the Hayward Gallery, the unpretentious response of the designers was, 'Building it was good… it rained a lot… we became like kids.'
The Wonderland area in Jubilee Gardens, built around a 1920s Spiegeltent, has a bumper-car bar and tells us to 'expect oddities, curiosities and eccentricities around every corner and overindulge in a programme of shows.' This trippy sideline seems more indulgent – fun for its own sake. But mostly this festival promises playfulness with the serious intent and integrity of a child.
This Festival does not appear to be a balloon of optimism set to burst in an unusual summer but rather part of a positive ongoing commitment to make a difference through arts. The transformed Southbank Site, with its new meeting place, the Festival Village, is surely a place where things will happen. As Artistic Director, Jude Kelly, asks, 'Can art change lives?'
Everything is beautiful if you don't look down. Bring on the festival with its astonishing array of artists, poets and musicians.
Visit Southbank Centre's 3D map to explore the outside spaces mentioned above at the Festival of the World site.
Friendly URL: http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/Festival-of-the-world-southbank-outside


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11 Best Johnny Depp Movies Of All Time To Watch According To IMDb
Apoorva PatilUpdated on Jan 18, 2023, 16:33 IST
Johnny Depp is one of the best-known character actors in his movies. Although his movies have never won an Academy Award, they have a highly distinctive and original look. He has garnered various accolades, such as a Golden Globe, and has been nominated three times. Some of the most noteworthy characters that Johnny Depp has played in his films are Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, and Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Here is a list of the best Johnny Depp movies of all time that you should definitely watch if you have not.
Corpse Bride, IMDb Rating - 3
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, IMDb Rating - 3
Sweeney Todd, IMDb Rating - 3
Sleepy Hollow, IMDb Rating - 3
A Nightmare On Elm Street, IMDb Rating - 5
Dead Man, IMDb Rating - 6
Blow, IMDb Rating - 6
Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, IMDb Rating - 6
Finding Neverland, IMDb Rating - 7
Edward Scissorhands, IMDb Rating - 9
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, IMDb Rating - 8
1. Corpse Bride, IMDb Rating - 7.3
Johnny Depp is not a stranger to animated movies, and while his lead role in the film Rango was one of his best, his fans prefer the Tim Burton and Mike Johnson-directed Corpse Bride. The film is a stop-motion animation that is seen as a spiritual sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas and sees Johnny Depp star as Victor while Helena Bonham Carter stars as Emily, a zombie who believes she is Victor's Corpse Bride.
2. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, IMDb Rating - 7.3
Johnny Depp's role in the Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was not only minor, but also concealed and revealed only at the end. Of course, as fans learned, he is Grindelwald and was disguised as Colin Farrell throughout the entire film. He had a massive role in the second movie in the franchise as he began his war against the world of magic and muggles.
3. Sweeney Todd, IMDb Rating - 7.3
Not only did Depp get to up the gore factor, but he also got to show off his singing chops for him and Tim Burton's adaptation of Sweeney Todd. Not only was the Burton-Depp combo the perfect combination to bring the blood and guts to the big screen, the meat pies and barber blades helped net Depp a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
4. Sleepy Hollow, IMDb Rating - 7.3
When a series of beheadings begins to occur in Sleepy Hollow, New York, Manhattan dispatches its constable, Ichabod Crane, to assist with the care. Depp's portrayal of the gangly-described Crane serves as comic relief in Sleepy Hollow, which is otherwise an ode to Hammer Horror films from the 1960s. He famously channelled Angela Lansbury for the role, which, combined with Tim Burton's style, was Depp's first action role, several years before Pirates.
5. A Nightmare On Elm Street, IMDb Rating - 7.5
As with many young stars of his era, Johnny Depp got his first significant break in a horror movie. Depp was one of the kids haunted by the evil Freddy Krueger in the first A Nightmare on Elm Street movie. Depp is the boyfriend of Nancy, the main protagonist of the first film of the franchise. Being Nancy's beloved boyfriend, on the other hand, is not the best thing to be in a Nightmare movie. When Glen fell asleep, he was the next to die in an impressive scene where his entire mattress swallowed him.
6. Dead Man, IMDb Rating - 7.6
While Johnny Depp has worked with Tim Burton more than almost any other actor, he has also worked with some of Hollywood's most eccentric directors, including John Waters (Cry-Baby) and Jim Jarmusch, who directed Depp in Dead Man. Depp stars as a Cleveland accountant who travels by train to a frontier town for a job. He is then driven out of that town by the owner of the company. After he kills an attacker in self-defense, he flees into the wilderness, where he meets a Native American named Nobody and runs from men trying to kill him.
7. Blow, IMDb Rating - 7.6
Except for J.M. Barrie, most of Johnny Depp's biographical roles are outlaws and renegades. George Jung is at the top of that list. In Blow, he takes on the role of the guy who helped bring cocaine into America, and he does it with the swagger of a rock star. Driven by the desire never to be destitute, Jung risks it all for the good life. Despite the glamorization, all Depp's Jung longed for by the end was more time with his daughter.
8. Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, IMDb Rating - 7.6
The film tells the long, strange journey of Hunter S. Thomson and his gonzo book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam at the helm and Depp as Thompson, the counterculture iconoclast. To get ready for the role, Depp hung out with and befriended Thompson. With little to no storyline, the film itself bombed in theaters, but Depp's portrayal of the legendary journalist-author and the completely banana drug binge that Duke and Gonzo go on have since made the film a cult classic and led to a friendship between Thompson and Depp until Hunter's death.
9. Finding Neverland, IMDb Rating - 7.7
In another true-life tale, Depp plays J.M. Barrie, the whimsical creator of Peter Pan. In Finding Neverland, the story is all about Barrie's friendship with Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and her four sons. It all inspired the playwright to dream up the story of the boy who would never grow up. Despite all of the rumours that persist about them, Barrie continues to spend time with the family. The movie was an awards darling, being nominated for four of them, including another Best Actor award for Depp.
10. Edward Scissorhands, IMDb Rating - 7.9
By 1990, Depp was tired of the "teen idol" label that Hollywood tried to saddle him with due to his role on 21 Jump Street. So he leaped at the chance to take on roles that turned the label on its ear. John Waters' "Cry Baby" was one movie that satirised his status. But strangely enough, Edward Scissorhands cemented it, but for a different audience. In his first collaboration with Tim Burton, Depp's tortured soul captured the hearts of plenty of fans in this gothic love story.
11. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, IMDb Rating - 8
When Disney decided to make a movie out of its long-beloved Pirates ride, 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl' was the result. The film on paper was nothing more than a good ol' pirate movie, harkening back to the swashbuckling adventure films of yesteryear. That might have been okay. But Depp took the role of Captain Jack Sparrow and made him something wholly unique. The result was an Academy Award-nominated performance and the start of a franchise.


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Glenn receives third national award for most conservative record
Sen. Mike Green ranked second most conservative in state Senate
Lansing, Mi. -- Associate Speaker Pro Tem Gary Glenn, R-Williams Twp., chairman of the House Energy Policy Committee, has received a third national-level award for compiling the most conservative voting record in the state House of Representatives.
Glenn -- who in 2018 is running for the state Senate seat representing Bay, Lapeer, and Tuscola counties -- for the third year in a row was named recipient of the "Award for Conservative Excellence" by the American Conservative Union, a national organization founded in 1964 that promotes the "three-legged stool" of fiscally and socially conservative principles as well as a strong national defense.
Sen. Mike Green, R-Mayville, was ranked the second most conservative member of the state Senate in 2017. Green, who is term-limited and cannot run for reelection, is supporting Glenn's candidacy to succeed him in the Senate.
"It's a priority of mine to demonstrate, by example, that a legislator can be faithful to conservative principles of government and be effective at the same time. You don't have to compromise one to be the other," Glenn said. "I also hope my voting record these last three years will make clear to families in Bay, Lapeer, and Tuscola counties that they can trust me to continue Sen. Green's conservative voting record in the state Senate."
Glenn won the third award based on his 2017 voting record, in which he tied with ten fellow Republicans -- including Speaker of the House Tom Leonard -- in voting conservative on 95 percent of the twenty roll call votes graded by ACU.
Glenn tied with two fellow Republicans in 2015 and 2016 for the most conservative voting record in the House, voting conservative on 94 percent and 96 percent, respectively, of the roughly two dozen roll call votes selected each year by ACU.
Glenn's lifetime ACU average after three years in the state House of Representatives is 95 percent.
Click here to see the full ratings and list of legislation graded by ACU in 2017.
"ACU researched and selected a range of bills before the Michigan Legislature that determine a member's adherence to conservative principles," the Washington, D.C.-based group said in a news release announcing the awards.
"We selected bills that focus on Ronald Reagan's philosophy of the 'three-legged stool': 1) fiscal and economic: taxes, budgets, regulation, spending, healthcare, and property; 2) social and cultural: 2nd amendment, religion, life, welfare, and education; and 3) government integrity: voting, individual liberty, privacy, and transparency. This wide range of issues are designed to give citizens an accurate assessment that conveys which of Michigan's elected leaders best defend the principles of a free society: Life, Liberty and Property."
Glenn after his first year in office was also chosen from among 55 first-term state representatives and senators as 2015 "Freshman Legislator of the Year" by reporters for Michigan Information and Research Service (MIRS), the Capitol's oldest daily news service, based primarily on his leadership on energy and private property rights issues.
He has also been named a "Guardian of Small Business" by the state chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business and "Legislator of the Year" by both the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan and the Michigan Propane Dealers Association.
Gary's Pledge Are you in Sen. District 31? Write a letter to the editor
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Gary Glenn for State Senate


Sharing Your Gift and Talent With The World!
I love encouraging people to share their gifts and talents. Why? Well because everyone has them and it's so amazing when we decide to share them with others who can benefit from them.
However, as a coach I have come across many people that feel like their gifts and talents are not special.
They say things like "many people have this same gift' or "it's no big deal this just comes natural to me". But they are really missing a HUGE fact.
When you make statements like this you diminish the fact that you have been uniquely made and only you can share your gift or your talent with the world because there is only One you. No one can do it quite like you.
Secondly just because it comes natural doesn't mean it's not a gift. I learned this fact with my communication style. I thought for a while that everyone could speak and everyone could connect through coaching but I was wrong. I realized that there are many people who can do both very well but I bring my own unique style of communication that gets to the heart of a situation. I am then able to help people create more desirable lives and businesses. I do this in my own unique way!
You are able to do the same when you realize that your gifts and talents are unique and the world needs what you have.
Starting tonight on the Dream Big Series I am going to be kicking the Series off by sharing with you how to use your gifts and talents to live your dreams. I hope you will join me on this live free webinar.
Until then remember that you have something very special to share with the world.
Today's Shareable Message: You are uniquely and individually made and the world needs your gifts and talents.
Your Assignment: Share with me below what your unique gifts and talents are and how you are sharing it with the world.
Help me spread the message of courage, faith and works. Share this newsletter with your friends and family!


We selected our first ever Octopus Initiative lottery winners April 15, and to say they were excited is an extreme understatement. In fact, Lily was so excited she's been sharing her news of winning all over social media. And we couldn't help but want to hear more so we sat down with Lily, the winner of Derrick Velazquez's Trim Void 16 to learn a little about her and her experience with Octopus Initiative.
Hey Lily, we hear you're new to Denver, what brought you to the city?
Making Denver our home was really a series of fortunate events.
My husband, Alex, and I dreamed it up on a ski trip New Year's Eve 2016. While riding the lift, we were talking about what we wanted our futures to look like. We both loved the outdoors, we both love skiing, I wanted a thriving creative community to pursue an art career, and he wanted a strong tech scene to continue growing his own knowledge. What better place could you imagine but Denver?
For a year it was just an idea, but by the beginning of 2018 my husband was offered an amazing opportunity. We both had great jobs in Washington D.C. but we were ready for a change, and why not now? We both saw the opportunity and ran with it. I had a final art show in January, and two weeks later our two cats and I traveled cross-country to set up house. By the end of February, this was our home. When I realized I could walk to MCA Denver, and heard about Octopus Initiative, it was really the quintessential 'icing on the cake.' Everything had fallen into place and made sense.
How'd you get involved with the Octopus Initiative?
When we arrived in Denver, I really wanted to hit the ground running, and didn't waste any time following MCA on social media and finding events in the creative community. Low and behold, here is this amazing museum down the street, and there's a FREE event promoting this thing called Octopus Initiative.
Being from Washington D.C. the land of all that is historic and Smithsonian, I thought, there is no way I am understanding this correctly.
You're telling me, that a museum, the physical manifestation of every mom's saying, 'Look with your eyes, and not with your hands,' is going to give leading artist's commissioned work to a stranger?
So, they can then take it out of the museum, fully framed and ready to hang?
To their own homes, to decorate their walls, wherever they want?
I mean honestly, with that sort of incentive, why would you not go to check out this madness? Except, it wasn't madness. No, these were not cat thieves climbing into the studios of Denver's best artists. Octopus Initiative was a well-oiled machine. An amazing, albeit ambitious, opportunity to connect artists with their fans, and the friends and family of those fans, to a piece of artwork that they may have never seen if it weren't adorning one of the walls of their home. How great is that, and why wouldn't you want to be a part of it!
What drew you to "hearting" Derrick's Trim Void 16?
I remember when I saw Derrick's 'Trim Void 16,' it was hanging on one of the first racks, and placed with some of Laura Shill's work from her 'Absent Lovers' series (also an amazing artist and participant). Trim Void was so different from the monochromatic figures surrounding it, and honestly, from the aesthetic, I'm drawn to in my own work. There's really no way it couldn't stand out in that setting.
I loved the simplicity and architectural style of the piece. He uses these great, bold, primary colors that we all recognize, but the shapes are much more abstract and geometric, almost obtuse. It's a great contrast to the small, but very intricate, collage elements he uses as detailing for each shape. It almost looks like printed images of Victorian crown molding or an upside-down Roman column, but I can't say for sure. Either way, it creates a lot of movement and makes everything pop. Derrick left Trim Void 16's center as blank white paper, so all of this color and detailing is going on around the edges. It leads the viewer to constantly be moving their gaze around and around the piece. It's very playful, almost like a merry-go-round for your eyes!
How'd you react when you heard you won?
Should I have spoonfuls of Nutella, or yogurt for dessert?
Would I rather fly, or breath underwater?
Whatever happened with that Octopus Initiative raffle?
Low and behold, in my email the following Sunday night, was a message that I had won! I'm pretty sure I jumped off out of bed and screamed, then did a happy dance with our cats, but you'd have to verify the amount of shared enthusiasm with my husband.
It was too late to post anything, or send a mass texts, and I think I was still shocked that I won. So, I did the logical next step, I took a screenshot of the email to share my excitement in the morning and started following Derrick Velasquez on Instagram. I was also sure to send a message to my Mom. She's an artist as well, and really interested in the Octopus Initiative when I first told her I'd signed up. I knew she would be just as excited that I had won.
One of our goals with the Octopus Initiative is to connect people with local artists. Have you had a chance to connect with Derrick yet?
When I first learned I'd won the raffle, I took a dive down the rabbit hole of Derrick Velasquez' background in the Denver area. I truly didn't realize that he not only creates his own artwork, but also has extensive curatorial experience. It was so awesome to see that he's worked on projects with pillars of Denver's art community like 'The Stacks' at MCA, and 'Transforming Milk into Milk' With Redline. The thing I loved most though, was that he founded the 'Yes Ma'amProject,' which provides grants to selected artists in the Denver community.
We also started following one another on social media, which to me is super cool. Especially since I have such an interest in growing as a professional artist myself. Who knows, maybe one day we'll get coffee and become besties, or he'll see some of my work and want it to decorate his own home.
Have you figured out where you're going to hang the work?


The Oaks at Ojai has named Peter Bowen as general manager to oversee the daily operations, growth and success of the beloved destination spa. He comes to The Oaks from a 16-year tenure at the five-diamond Ojai Valley Inn where he held positions ranging from director of rooms, director of distribution and revenue and director of sales and marketing, and grew average daily rate and occupancy consistently.
Bowen, a resident of Ojai since 1995, and when notmoonlighting as an actor, is focused on making impactful and thoughtful changes to The Oaks, such as simplifying the reservations process, enhancing the arrival/departure experience and emphasizing The Oaks "Program" to ensure the guests' goals are realized.
Bowen says, "With a relatively small staff, it's so important for all of us to be working well together. The Oaks prides itself on being a family-run business and the personal attention that comes with being taken care of by a member of the family needs to be evident at every turn. My goal is to enhance that family environment for our staff and guests and introduce processes and standards that will allow the team to work efficiently and effectively in anticipating our guests' needs. Identifying the goal of the guest at the time of reservation will help guide their experience and allow us to provide the best opportunity to achieve their desired result. There are a plethora of special programs at The Oaks at Ojai featured throughout the year: theme weeks, special events and guest speakers all designed to assist our guests in achieving their goals. We are also blessed to be located in the heart of the beautiful Ojai Valley which provides an ideal environment to enhance our health, wellness and nutrition."


When legislators return to the Capitol Monday, they'll have one thing on their minds: tax relief. House Republicans are looking to cut business taxes while Senate Republicans are hoping to get rid of the so-called "marriage penalty." Governor Dayton says he likes cutting taxes as much as anyone, but, isn't clear on where the money will come from.
Fire crews and a wind switch combined to beat back a raging forest 216-acre fire Thursday that burned to the edge of popular tourist town Ely. Some nervous residents were briefly evacuated, but no injuries were reported and officials say no occupied homes were lost.


Worldwide Adventures or Hawaiian Paradise… which one do you choose?
Thinking of taking a world trip to Machu Piccu? Visit some hills in Scotland? Maybe cruise down the Danube River or see Alaska's Denali National Park? Or just take a quick weekend around Nashville, TN, or New York City?
You could plan it all on your own… or contact Magic on a Dollar for your Adventures By Disney journey of a lifetime!
FAMILIES IN MIND… Imagine visiting the most amazing places on Earth without any of the stress and worry that normally comes with family travel. Adventures By Disney makes it a reality, as every destination has active and immersive adventures, including special activities for the Junior Adventurers as well as time off for the parents. And your Adventure Guides are experts at bringing these unforgettable destination to life!!
SO MUCH INCLUDED… Travel shouldn't always come with an upcharge! That's why activities, excursions and admissions are included, as are most meals (including some of the most spectacular dining options around) and top quality accommodations. And once you've reached your destination, all travel throughout your journey — a short flight, train, ferry, or motor coach — is taken care of, hassle-free, including luggage and concierge services.
VIP SERVICE… Every detail of your Adventures By Disney journey is attended to by TWO Adventure Guides. Throughout your journey, they not only provide renowned, Disney VIP service and handle all of your needs, you also get front-of-the-line privileges to major attractions as well as some incredible, exclusive "backstage" events. Its like your own World FastPass! The expert Disney VIP Concierge will also help you plan your "on your own" time!
INSIDER ACCESS… You won't just visit these fascinating destinations, you'll be immersed in the history and stories so you can truly connect with them. Many times, one of your Adventure Guides is actually from the region you'll be traveling. So not only do they have a deep connection to the area, but they work with local experts to truly bring the culture and history of those destinations to life. And with major, popular attractions and museums, you'll many times enjoy skipping lines completely. Plus, unique dining and cultural events that give you a chance to experience the local flavors.
Check out all the places you can go with Adventures By Disney!
PLEASE NOTE: This information is from Disney but is subject to change without notice. Please inquire or double check on locations through Magic on a Dollar, or your regular Travel Agent before making final decisions. Please visit Adventures By Disney's Terms & Conditions for further details.


Asus has just debuted its ZenBook Pro 15 UX580 laptop and, aside from a powerful new specification that includes an 8th generation Intel Core i9 CPU, it comes packing what the maker is calling a "ScreenPad".
The ScreenPad is located where a laptop's traditional touchpad is placed, but in this case it's a 5.5-inch touchscreen display that can act as a second screen, be used as a secondary control panel for apps, and display its own data, too.
In certain apps, such as Office and YouTube, ScreenPad displays custom controls, and it also still retains complete support for Microsoft Precision Touchpad, too, meaning users can still make use of any gestures (up to four fingers) they are fond of using. ScreenPad also supports the Asus Pen.
Windows calendar is also synced to the ScreenPad, and a configurable toolbar at the top of the ScreenPad can be pulled downward to access a user-configurable app launcher as well. Asus has also confirmed that it plans to launch a ScreenPad SDK by the end of the year to encourage support for new applications and features.
ScreenPad looks pretty useful, with its positioning, form-factor, and potential features seemingly outstripping those demonstrated on Apple's MacBook Pro Touch Bar. Naturally, until we have tested the ScreenPad we will withhold judgement, but it certainly looks promising.
The spec of the ZenBook Pro 15 also looks very competitive, with that aforementioned Intel Core i9 processor being partnered with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5 graphics card, 1TB SSD, suite of DDR4-2400 RAM, and up to a 4K resolution display. We also like the sound of a 83 per cent screen-to-body ratio.
And, well, ScreenPad will at least deliver yet another thing for enthusiasts to run Doom on.


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